To Cook
Thoroughly clean the chicken and rinse with water. Then stuff the cavity with the ginger and spring onions. While doing so, start to boil a large stockpot of water.
When the water has started to boil, slowly place the chicken neck-first into the pot until it is completely submerged and then lift it back up out of the water. Repeat this for 2 more times. Then finally submerge the chicken in the water and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
After simmering for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the chicken to continue poaching in the water for around 20 minutes. The time it takes for the chicken to fully cook varies according to the size of the bird.
When the bird floats to the top that is a sign that it is cooked. Test if it has fully cooked by poking the thickest part if the chicken and checking the liquid that comes out runs clear. Alternatively, a meat thermometer reading of 75°C means the chicken is cooked.
Once the chicken has fully cooked, immediately remove from the pot of water and remove the herbs from the cavity. Stop the cooking process by quickly submerging the chicken in a bath of ice water for a few minutes.
Remove the chicken from the ice bath and pat dry. Brush the skin with sesame oil and set aside.
The dipping sauce can be prepared while the chicken is poaching. You’ll need to mix the all the ingredients except the oil and soy sauce in a mixing bowl.
Heat up the oil in a pan until it begins to smoke, then turn off the heat and pour the oil into the bowl of dipping sauce. Stir it around and season with the soy sauce to taste.
When ready to serve, chop up the chicken and arrange on a serving platter. Garnish with sprigs of coriander and spring onions. Serve with the dipping sauce and steamed rice.
Chicken
Chinese Roast Chicken
To Prep
Clean the chicken with some water. Make sure to clean inside the cavity as well as the outside skin. Pat dry with some kitchen towels. Using some kitchen twine, tie the legs together, this will help the bird cook evenly in the oven.
In a small bowl, mix all of the marinade ingredients together and rub it generously on the skin and in the cavity of the chicken. Place the garlic and ginger in the cavity of the bird.
Place the bird in a large enough marinade bag and pour whatever is left of the marinade in with the bird. Seal the marinade bag and marinate the chicken in the fridge overnight.
Once the chicken has marinated enough, remove the chicken from the marinade bag and remove the garlic and ginger. Leave the chicken out to air dry at room temperature until the skin is no longer wet. If you have a fan, turning it on will speed up this process.
To Cook
Turn on your oven and set to 200°C. Place your chicken in a roasting pan with a rack so that the fat and drippings can be collected.
Once the oven has heated up, place the chicken on the lowest rack and roast for 45 minutes. At 45 minutes, flip the chicken around and roast the other side for another 15 minutes.
While the chicken is roasting, mix the ingredients for the skin coating together. Once the chicken has roasted for an hour, brush the entire chicken with the skin coating mix. Then roast for a further 10 minutes on each side or until the skin turns a beautiful golden brown.
Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, cut up the bird into decent sized pieces and serve with the collected drippings together with steamed white rice.
Creamy Butter Chicken (Lai Yao Kei)
To Prep
Combine chicken cubes and marinade in a bowl. Marinade for a minimum of 1 hour.
To Cook
Deep-fry the chicken cubes. Dish up chicken, drain and set aside.
Heat wok and add butter. Fry chillies and curry leaves till fragrant.
Pour in evaporated milk and bring to a boil. Add in chicken stock powder, salt and sugar to taste.
Add chicken and cook until they are cooked through. Stir to coat chicken pieces evenly in the sauce. If the dish is too spicy, add a pinch of sugar.
Serve hot with rice.
Stir-Fried Yellow Curry with Chicken (Gai Pad Gaeng Garee)
To Cook
Heat oil over low heat. Add Valcom Yellow Curry Paste and stir-fry until fragrant. Add chicken and stir over high heat until cooked.
Add onion, fish sauce, sugar and coconut milk. Stir through until onion is tender.
Add spring onion and red chilli, then remove from heat.
Tips: Green prawns can be used in place of chicken.
Chicken Rendang
To Cook
Begin by toasting coconut in a dry pan over medium heat to make the kerisik. Once golden brown, remove from heat. Place kerisik in a bowl, and set aside.
To make the rendang paste, either pound the ingredients in a mortar and pestle or blend together in a blender/food processor. Fry the paste in a large pot or pan for 20-30 mins on high heat or until fragrant and brown in colour.
Add chicken and stir until chicken is evenly coated in paste. Add coconut milk, and then allow to simmer on low heat until sauce has thickened and chicken is fully cooked. If sauce is too light, add in dark soy sauce to achieve desired colour.
Remove from heat and stir through kerisik, kaffir lime leaves, and season with salt and sugar to taste.
Cantonese Fried Flat Noodles in Egg Gravy (Wa Tan Hor)
To Cook the Noodles
Lightly blanch the noodles in some boiling water to avoid them sticking together.
Heat up the oil in a wok over medium high heat. Add the noodles, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce.
Stir fry and toss until the noodles are evenly coated with the soy sauce. Continue until the noodles are cooked. Set aside.
To Cook the Gravy
Heat up some oil in the wok and fry the garlic until golden brown.
Next add the chicken, fish cake and prawns. Fry until the prawns and chicken are cooked and pour in the chicken stock
Season the chicken stock with the light soy sauce, oyster sauce and salt to taste. Once seasoned, bring the stock up to a boil.
Prepare a cornstarch mixture by adding the cornflour to water and mixing well, making sure there are no lumps.
Pour the cornstarch mixture into the chicken stock and simmer until the gravy thickens.
Add the choy sum into the gravy and crack the eggs in as well.
Turn the heat off as soon as you crack the eggs in and stir vigorously to break up the eggs and mix them into the gravy.
Pour the gravy over the prepared noodles and serve immediately.
Nyonya Chicken with Potato Stew (Ayam Pongteh)
To Cook
Pound onions and garlic until fine. Add in fermented soy bean sauce and mash well.
Fry potato cubes in hot oil until lightly browned. Drain and leave about 50ml oil in wok. Add in the pounded ingredients and stir-fry until fragrant.
Put in the chicken and stir-fry for another 5 mins.
Add in 250ml water, palm sugar and thick soy sauce and bring to boil. Lower the heat and continue to cook until chicken is tender. Stir in potatoes, boil until tender and add in salt to taste.
Serve hot with rice.
Deep Fried Chicken with Spices (Ayam Goreng Berempah)
To Cook
Blend the lemongrass, galangal & ginger.
Mix all the ingredients well (except the oil) and marinate chicken for at least 20 mins or better overnight.
Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the chicken for about 15-20 mins on medium heat until golden brown and fully cooked (as chicken drumsticks may take longer to cook, please ensure you check inside to see if it’s well done).
Drain the fried chicken on paper towel to remove excess oil.
Remove the fried spiced crumbs from the oil and set aside to drain off excess oil.
Serve hot and garnish with the fried curry leaves and crispy fried crumbs for extra flavour.
Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice
To Prep
Combine the chicken ingredients in to a mixing bowl and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
To Cook
Add 1 tbsp of the oil in to a wok over a high heat. Allow it to warm up before adding the chicken and cooking until the meat has cooked through. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil and add the salted fish. Cook the fish until it becomes fragrant before adding the rice.
Stir-fry the rice until it has evenly mixed with the fish before making an open space in the centre of the wok for the egg.
Add the beaten eggs in to the centre of the wok and cook the eggs until they have cooked through and then mix them into the rice.
Finally, add the diced chicken back in to the wok and stir-fry it in to the rice before seasoning with salt to taste and serving.
Satay Roasted Chicken Breast
To Prep
Combine the satay sauce, lemon juice, salt and 2 tbsp of the coconut milk. Rub onto chicken breast and place them on a small oven tray.
To Cook
Drizzle the remaining coconut milk around the chicken and place onto a pre-heated oven set at 175°C. Bake for 25 mins, basting several times with the sauce from the tray.
Remove when cooked and serve with steamed rice, salad and the remaining sauce.
Steamed Chicken with Salted Fish and Black Fungus
To Prep
Chop 500g chicken thighs cutlets into bite sized pieces.
Marinade the chopped thigh cutlets with 2 tsp oyster sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil, 1½ tbsp Shaoxing wine, 2 tsp ginger juice, 1 tsp soya sauce, ½ tsp sugar and ½ tbsp cornflour.
Cover with cling wrap and let it marinate overnight in the fridge.
Soak 10g black fungus in hot water for about an hour or overnight in room temperature water until soften. Discard or cut away the hard ends of the soften black fungus. For the soaked black fungus, cut into bite sizes and set aside.
Slice 40g salted fish and heat 3 tbsp oil on medium heat and fry salted fish until golden brown and crispy. Drain on kitchen towels and set aside.
Remove marinated chicken from fridge. Add in the soften black fungus, half of the julienned ginger and half of the crispy fried salted fish. Mix well.
Scatter the rest of julienned ginger and salted fish on top.
To Cook
Steam for 25 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with steaming white rice.
Shortcut Black Pepper Chicken
To Cook
Saute minced garlic until fragrant.
Add chicken and stir-fry until almost cooked.
Add capsicums and carrots and stir fry for 2-3 mins.
Add Lee Kum Kee readymade sauce and water. Simmer until well-heated. Serve hot.